Service & Solidarity Spotlight: UNITE HERE Local 5 Members Ratify Landmark Contract at Waikiki Marriott Hotels

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

More than 2,500 workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 5 voted to ratify a new labor contract at five Marriott-operated hotels in Honolulu. Workers at the Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Sheraton Waikiki, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and the Westin Moana Surfrider voted for the contract. Details weren’t released, but the contract includes salary increases, and addresses workload and staffing issues. Ratification votes are set to continue for workers at the Sheraton Maui and Sheraton Kauai later this week.

“For 40 days, Hilton Hawaiian Village workers led all of Local 5. Their willingness to step-up and strike set a historic new standard for hotel workers, and without their sacrifice we would not have been able to secure similar agreements with Kyo-ya and Marriott,” said Cade Watanabe, UNITE HERE Local 5 financial secretary-treasurer. “These agreements achieve our major goals—wages that help us get ahead and not just get by, job security and a commitment from our employers to address workload and staffing concerns that have a direct impact on our guests.”